


light up your wildest dreams (always have high hopes)

by ShatterinSeconds



Series: under the city lights [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Lance works at an aquarium, M/M, Musician Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-17 00:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14821961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShatterinSeconds/pseuds/ShatterinSeconds
Summary: “Didn’t realize anyone was still around,” Lance admits, a pleasant smile gracing his features as he waits for a response.Another second passes by for Keith to realize that he has taken too long to answer. “Y-yeah, this is my favorite exhibit.”(or Lance works at the Aquarium in the seal exhibit, and Keith watches every presentation Lance gives because he’s hopelessly pining)





	light up your wildest dreams (always have high hopes)

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from High Hopes by Panic! at the Disco
> 
> HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE<33

“You’re so screwed, Kogane,” Keith mutters to himself, ignoring an odd stare from a two year old in a carriage passing by. Scowling, he attempts to block out the few remaining people around him as he walks outside, basking in his self-made misery and enjoying it.  

The summer heat engulfs Keith, and the salty breeze from the harbor right by the aquarium does little to cut through the humidity. Tying his hair into a loose ponytail, Keith eventually resorts to fanning himself with a crumpled map, the manufactured breeze tickling his face for a mere second before vanishing. He stands on the side of the sea lion and fur seal exhibit where you’re guaranteed the best view of the animals, especially when they leap onto the large platform when jousting with each other. The glass separating him from their habitat is smudged with sticky fingerprints of children who wandered past a few hours before; the remnants of their shrill screams still linger.

It's almost time for the late afternoon feeding session and every school group has gone home, leaving a few older folks mulling around the area. None of them stay though, and Keith finds himself alone as the trainer comes out from behind the gate, a bucket of fish at his hip. Clothed in khaki colored pants and a navy blue, short sleeved shirt with the aquarium logo, the man kneels down close to the water’s edge as a few seals swim to greet him.

The seals may be cute, but Keith’s attention is always drawn to the man. The trainer’s name is Lance, a fact Keith learned a few days ago when the man introduced himself in front of a large audience of energetic kids and exhausted parents, and even though Keith had just been meaning to briskly walk through the outdoor exhibit, he stayed for the whole presentation. And every presentation afterwards--his wallet has never felt lighter. Yet, seeing those brown curls flutter across the man’s forehead in the wind as he coaxes a seal up onto the platform or the endearing quality of his smile or his beautiful brown skin and lean, muscular body or… All of this, every single thing that will hurt Keith in the end--the loss of money, the useless pinning, the eventual understanding of having to just walk away--is worth it.

Keith forcefully bites back a sigh, closing his eyes for a brief second, listening to Lance’s quiet voice as he talks to the animals, and he rests against one of the information plaques that he has never bothered to read. For a second, Keith allows himself an ounce of happiness, that carefree nature that he has been missing.

He allows himself to get lost in the sights and sounds.

One of the smaller seals splashes a bit of water at Lance as it dives; a loud ‘hey!’ follows that action, and Keith can’t help but laugh at the sight, a sound that startles the trainer enough to whirl around, realizing he has an audience of one. Walking closer, Lance’s voice is kind as he addresses Keith. A stray seal follows him, eyeing the bucket of fish.

“Didn’t realize anyone was still around,” Lance admits. He stands directly across from Keith behind the glass, and for the first time, Keith notices that freckles are scattered across his cheeks and nose, another endearing quality that has Keith’s heart pumping loudly. A pleasant smile graces Lance’s features as he waits for a response.

Another second passes by for Keith to realize that he has taken too long to answer. “Y-yeah, this is my favorite exhibit.” Feeling the jitters already creeping around his body, Keith reaches for the hair tie, pulling it from his hair and wrapping it around his fingers. Long black locks fall against his neck in gentle waves, slightly sticking to his sweaty skin.   

Lance’s blue eyes widen. "Wait! You were here earlier; I'd recognize that mullet anywhere." He pauses for a second, his eyes narrowing on Keith’s face. “Actually, you’ve been here all week.”

Caught, Keith weakley shrugs, a faint blush almost invisible on his pale skin. Fiddling with the hair tie does little to calm his nerves, and his foot begins to tap against the concrete. “Yeah.”

“Hold on,” Lance says before he disappears out of sight only to reappear on Keith’s side of the enclosure as he walks out of an ‘employees only’ door. He stops inches from Keith’s position, hands on his hips before he tilts his head in a serious manner. "You stalking me or are you just  _really_ into sea lions and seals?"

Keith winches. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” he begins, fumbling for words, “I--I probably should go.” He awkwardly points behind him, shame already weighing him down. But a hand lands on his shoulder, preventing him from turning, and Keith gazes up to find a different light in Lance’s eyes--one of understanding and… happiness. His smile is no longer one of professional courtesy but is in fact a grin that stretches across his face.

"You wanna get a closer look?" Lance slightly angles his head in the direction of the exhibit--the seals and sea lions have been eyeing them with piqued interest, most likely wondering when their food would return. Or maybe they’re interested in witnessing a human’s failed attempt at courting.

Keith would testify that the largest seal has been mocking him.

"Is that even allowed?"

Smirking, Lance’s posture straightens with pride. "I'm the senior trainer while my friend’s on leave, so yeah, as long as you don’t do anything stupid. And to be honest, you’re cute so I kinda wanna impress you," he mutters the last part, casually scratching the back of his head. Then he holds out his hand. “I’m Lance by the way.”

“I know; you introduce yourself every time you do a presentation,” Keith replies, but accepts the handshake nonetheless.

“Yeah, but this is where you tell me  _your_ name...”

Embarrassed, Keith tugs a stray lock of hair, wrapping it around his fingers before releasing it to curl against his cheek. “I’m Keith. Sorry, I’m not good at this… social stuff.”

“Oh I’ve noticed. Pining after someone for a week without ever talking to them is not the best way to get them to go out with you,” Lance winks only for Keith to lightly bump his shoulder as he is guided into the exhibit.

“Jackass.”

“Ah, ah, ah, no swearing, Keith, we’re now in the presence of children.” With a finger pressed against his lips, Lance’s eyes shine with mirth. Sunlight strikes Keith the minute he is lead out of the relatively dark storage area for training toys and cleaning supplies to find himself in the middle of everything. His perspective shifts in focus as he becomes part of a different world; now he is the being on display.

Some of the sun’s rays refract around Lance, outlining him in a shimmering, golden haze and catching on some of the lighter colored streaks in his hair. Keith drowns in the sight even though he can still breathe.  

The water quietly laps against the wooden deck as a small fur seal comes to investigate.

Like magic, Lance straps on his bucket of fish, stepping into the persona of an experienced trainer. The seal immediately bounds its way over, its coat a slick dark brown having just come from the water, and it stops midway to scratch its head. Lance throws a small piece of fish into the water and the seal effortlessly dives for the food. Only a few ripples on the clear surface are left in the animal’s wake.

Keith still stands a few shy feet away.

When Lane redirects his attention back to Keith, his eyes soften enough for Keith to feel his anxiety slipping away. He walks a few hesitant steps forward and Lance guides him the rest of the way. He now stands at the edge, so close that if he takes one more step he will fall into the water. The same seal from before floats near Keith, quiet interested in the new addition. No one else is.  

"That’s Kitovi,” Lance begins, kneeling down to stroke her head before she swims away. “She's four, almost five, years old, and I've trained her since she was a pup. Her mom Ursula is over there.” Keith immediately spots a lager seal gracefully swimming over to investigate the commotion before deciding to ignore them. “And then there’s Ron, the lazy bum, who sleeps all day." Lance points to a sea lion lounging on a rock in the middle of the pool as if he owns the whole place. Keith fights back an easy smile. There are other fur seals and sea lions in the exhibit, but before Lance is able to introduce them all, as if they are his own children, Kitovi flounders up onto the deck again, quickly waddling over to Lance.

Lance holds out a fist, and the seal immediately bops her nose into Lance’s hand. He repeats the action a few more times, changing the position of his hand, before he throws her a treat and she dives back into the water. When she pops back up, soaking Keith’s shoes in the process who is too slow to react, Lance reaches down to scratch her back, fluffing her slicked back fur. For a second, Keith believes he actually sees Kitovi smile.

Her wide, round eyes are hopeful as she follows a few more of Lance’s commands, lying down completely and even showcasing her impressive flexibility, her head arching to touch her backside. Throughout all of this, Keith sneaks a few glances at Lance, watching how his face illuminates in an ethereal glow and how gentle his words of encouragement are to the creature. A dimple forms in Lance’s cheek as he quirks his lips when Kitovi bumps his hand again.

"She'll even dance for you too," Lance reveals, lifting his foot to the side, and Kitovi copies his movement with her right flipper. When Lance twirls with a flourish, she follows suit with a small happy cry.

Keith claps his hands in approval, and Lance takes the opportunity to bow after that performance. Kitovi mimics Lance again, head almost touching the deck, her long whiskers drifting across the boards. Hippos may be Keith’s favorite animal, but he knows that this specific fur seal will hold a place in his heart. She’s too adorable not to love, and her trainer is too adorable not to fall for.

Suddenly, Lance is by Keith’s side and the seal has waddled near their feet. "She won't bite," Lance says, words brushing across Keith’s ear; his hand covers Keith's as he guides it closer to the animal.

His touch is comfortaing as he stands beside Keith, his free arm casually wrapped around Keith’s waist while they wait for Kitovi’s reaction. It’s almost immediate, even with the brief flash of hesitance within her eyes, as she readily accepts Keith’s gesture of friendship, though he knows it’s only because Lance holds his hand.

With Lance’s permission, Keith gently strokes her head, and she leans into his touch.

A gust of wind rips through his hair to break his concentration, delicately whipping stray locks against his cheeks, and a strand catches on the corner of his mouth. Lance is faster to react; his hand reaches out, smoothing those wayward strands away from Keith’s face with a laugh. The sound dances on the breeze.

“Thanks,” Keith whispers.

Lance’s hand lingers for a second, entangled with Keith’s hair, until he is drawn back into reality. “No problem.”

Full with dinner, Kitovi eventually loses interest in them, sliding back into the water to join a few of the other seals. Lance doesn’t make a move to leave so when he settles down on the deck, crossing his legs like a kindergartener, Keith follows him. They sit inches apart, and as Keith tries to find the courage to start a conversation, he begins to count the water droplets on the deck boards.

One, two, three

“So I think I have the right to ask my mystery stalker a question or two,” Lance coyly says, swinging his gaze to Keith who has no choice but to meet him.

Keith shakes his head. “I’m sorry… again. I never meant--”

“Don’t sweat it,” Lance chuckles, “If I wasn’t equally into you, I would have told you to get lost by now. Meeting Kitovi is almost on the same level as meeting my family so you should be honored.”

“I am,” he says, watching the aforementioned seal fight another for a spot on one of the rocks, “Now what did you want to ask? Ah--” Keith quickly holds up his hand, stopping Lance whose lips have already parted with his burning question “--I do have the right to refuse to answer it, if it’s stupid.”

This condition does little to deter him. “I was just going to ask what you do for a job or whatever, since you clearly know my place of work?”

Keith mulls over the question for a few moments, deciding which is more impressive of the two, a musician or a barista. “During the summer, I’m a street performer, I guess, over at Faneuil Hall. Surprisingly, tourists are very good tippers.” Keith shrugs as he finishes, a little self conscious and a little worried Lance will be bored by the answer. Nothing lives up to the excitement of being around animals all day.

"Let me guess,” Lance says after a moment’s silence, cataloging every inch of him from his wild black hair to his ripped jeans--which had been a mistake to wear today in the heat, “You're part of a MCR cover band?"

Keith shoves Lance, almost hoping he’ll fall into the water. "No,” he replies with little anger, his tone light with the hint of humor. “It's only me, and I--uh I write my own songs and play the guitar."

"Wow, really? That's so cool!” This enthusiasm surprises Keith; it’s authentic and real, and watching Lance’s face become overwhelmed with wonderment caps this day off as being the best ever. “Maybe I'll check you out during one of my lunch breaks this weekend."

"I'm playing tomorrow around noon in the circle with all the kiosks," Keith casually adds in, his fingers tracing the grooves of the boards. Acting subtle has never been his forte, and as Lance’s hand bumps his own, he knows he has not improved in the past half an hour.

"You'll see me there," Lance says with a fierce nod of his head, grinning like a fool. It’s a beautiful sight to witness.

Keith can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and find that all of this isn’t just a dream.

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus:  
> Lance every day that week: oh shit the hot guy’s here again; I can’t fuck this up
> 
> fun fact: Ursula and Kitovi are real fur seals (along with Ron who’s a sea lion) that you can find at the New England Aquarium.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos:)


End file.
